By: Bridget Sinden
HARDY is done experimenting. For now. After taking a detour into heavier rock territory with last year’s Quit!!
And then getting sensitive hanging with his boy Steven Wilson Jr.
The Mississippi native is coming home with COUNTRY! COUNTRY!, his fourth studio album dropping September 26 via Big Loud Records.
It does feel like watching someone come back to their old neighborhood.
Back to What Works
The album’s lead single “Bottomland” tells you everything you need to know about where HARDY’s head is at. Named after his go-to camo pattern for hunting (because of course it is), the track captures that perfect mix of Southern pride and real-life grit that made him a household name in the first place
This isn’t nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake—it’s HARDY leaning in to what he does best while proving he’s learned a few things along the way. The guy spent time exploring other sounds, figured out what worked and what didn’t, and came back with a clearer vision of his own lane. Although, I would argue that all of what Hardy has done over the last few years has worked!
The song “Bro Country” (featuring ERNEST, naturally) released last week is what seems like a great sing along tune until you sing the chorus one time and start to look around as you shout out that you were that redneck! Still a banger!
“No disrespect
Yeah, don’t get me wrong
I’ve been that drunk redneck singing your songs
But whiskey and bandits, outlaws with long hair
Yeah, we’re back with a vengeance, with a fist in the air
It’s so bittersweet
Shutting that Fireball, cut offs
Jacked up truck door
But bro country don’t sound like you anymore
The Big Stage Moment
This fall’s JIM BOB World Tour includes HARDY’s first-ever headlining show at Madison Square Garden which is crazy to think about where he’s come from but the dude is just so damn likeable I’m sure this is just the start for him.
Wild Hearted Take
HARDY’s return to more traditional country feels like watching someone remember their own superpower. COUNTRY! COUNTRY! feels like he said “F@*K it, I’m just going to get really good at being myself!” With tracks that’ll soundtrack both the party and the quiet moments after, HARDY’s delivering exactly what his fans have been waiting for and so have we.
Stay Wild. Stay Country. Stay Free
